Nicolas Rolin's Commission of a Paiting

Louis Riel was one of the most controversial figures in Canadian history, and even to this day – more than a century after his execution – he continues to be remembered. Many believed him to be a villain; others saw him as a hero. So who was he really? Born in St. Boniface at the Red River Settlement of Canada (present-day Winnipeg, Manitoba) on October 22, 1844, Louis Riel hoped one day to follow his father’s footsteps and become a great Métis leader just like him. Eventually, Riel was seen as a hero to the French-speaking Métis. In the Canadian West, however, most people regarded him as a villain due to his execution in 1885. Nevertheless, Louis Riel was not really a villain by heart; only a flawed man who made many mistakes in his life.

On October 23, 1844, in Red River Manitoba, Louis Riel Sr and Julie Lagimodiere, devout Christians, brought a young Métis boy into the world. Little did they know, Louis Riel Jr. would grow up to become known to many as “the founder of Manitoba.” His life was filled with excitement, both political and personal. The question is, were his actions against the government acts of honor and truth, or deception and lies?

Louis Riel was born in 1844. He was captured and executed by Canadian authorities in November 16, 1885. He was a leader who gave up his life and time to fight for the right of the Metis, Indians and the western settlers. He was an well-educated young man fluent in both French and English. He was also selected as the Metis’s spokesman to negotiate with the Canadian government. During the 1869-70, he led the rebel when Canada purchases Manitoba from the Hudson’s bay company. Also, he organized and led a similar rebellion in 1885. Above all, is he a patriote or a traitor? It was inappropriate to accuse Riel as a traitor. He tried to defend the traditional rights of Metis and made sure they treated as equally as the

Luxury played an immense role in medieval Catholicism by taking the focus from God and placing it on the acquisition of riches and glory, which is shown by these sources: The Apology by Bernard of Clairvaux, The Book of Suger by The Abbot Suger and Guilty Pleasures: Luxury in the Middle Ages. These sources demonstrate the exorbitant manner that the churches and monasteries were being built in during that time. This not only drew attention away from the real reason for these buildings, but also was a form of idolatry for these monks, despite the honest intentions of some of them, including the Abbot Suger. Each source lends different insight into the corruption of the church during this medieval period.

St. Ignatius of Antioch understood the Christian faith to be objective and sensible, stating that Christianity is fundamentally a religion based in historic, tangible realties . He was adamant to the fact that Jesus Christ was a real human with real flesh; he encountered real suffering and died a truly human death. Ignatius saw Christian faith and the person of Jesus Christ in such a way that it put him at odds with the Gnostics, who held to a Docetic Christology that was circulating widely among the Church. For Ignatius, this was a serious issue that needed to be addressed due to the purity of the faith and the truth it held. At stake was the validity of the incarnation, suffering, death, and resurrection of the person of Jesus Christ. If this is not real or true, Ignatius believed that man

Joan of Arc was a powerful military leader and a skilled warrior. Now St Joan of Arc is considered a saint and a martyr. The influence left by Joan’s life was an inspiration to all. France was forever changed by the empowering presence of Joan.

During the first essay in Chapter 3, Francis F. Guest a Catholic priest discusses explanations of the increasing mortality rate among Indians was dealt by the Franciscan missionaries. For example, Francis F. Guest states, “The Franciscan missionaries of Hispanic California 1769-1848, saw death and the death rate at the missions with different eyes than those of the late twentieth-century Americans.” Although, some might think the high death rate was scary, the Franciscan priests were really familiar with death since their childhood. I believe this is true because Francis F. Guest explains, “Death, in the eighteenth century, came often to Spanish cities and towns and stayed long.” Father Francis F. Guest also states, “The people of Spain were

There were many early expeditions from Europe to North America, most in search of a

For Joan of Arc, 1428 was the start of a new life and journey. In the May of that year, Joan makes her first trip to Vacouleurs to meet with Robert de Baudricourt asking him to send her to the king. He had initially rejected her but her strong willingness to pursue what she wanted led to her attracting a small group of followers who believedthat she truly was destined to save France according to a prophecy. Baudricort finally gave in to her and she set out to Chinon, the site of the prince’s fortress. With the help of Charles, she led an army to Orleans in March of 1429 wearing white armor on her white horse. Joan had led several French attacks and drove the Anglo-Burgundians from their fortess and forced them to leave and cross the Loire River.

ever, helped him to mould his future. Allowing the acted upon, to become the actor. His agendas also helped to pave the way for discussions and actions that benefited the minorities of Canada. The individual agendas of Louis Riel where ones that ranged greatly in ambition. Stretching from seemingly minor or common goals such as self improvement to the grandiose and peculiar goals of becoming a new world prophet and setting up a new world Vatican in western Canada to foster Métis peoples and minorities (Riel 93) . Some of the most prominent and acted upon goals by Louis Riel however where the ones he envisioned of equal, fair, and respectful treatment of Métis and First Nations people across the nation of Canada by the federal government itself. From the time Louis Riel emerged as a leader during the Red River Rebellion, Louis had many particular goals in mind, all supporting the agenda of fair treatment for the Métis by the government. As the Rebellion was being resolved by the Treaty of Manitoba, Louis Riel had many demands of the Angelo Canadian government (Francis 40). Louis first and foremost demanded that Manitoba be confederated as a province, allowing the Métis to have more say in the election of their own delegates and to be able to govern themselves, preserving their way of life and there tight cultural ties. Louis Riel also demanded that the government and schools in Manitoba would be Bi-Lingual, Preserving the Franco Canadian influence against the majority

When looking closer, the women near the saint are angelic in form and function, as they dissipate in the background no define forms can be distinguished. None of the figures touch the monk, but one offers a glass of amber liquid. This work of art could be depicting the status of Octave Tassaert’s life5 where he was known to be living in poverty, seen in as the monk, and loved women which exceeds more than half of the surface. The painting “Temptation of Saint Hilarion” reflects romanticism which reflects the emotion displayed on the canvas. Baudelaire mentions “that Romanticism is precisely situated neither in choice of subject in exact truth, but in feeling.” ( Honour, p 14)6 At the moment the painting was being produced, The Crimean War between Russia and France battled on about the Russian Orthodox versus the Roman Catholic over privileges of churches in holy places in Palestine 7(Britannica.com). During this period the Second Empire of Napoleon was in reign and education was being fought over between the state and

The art and beauty in this painting is exemplified through the eyes of Boucher. It starts with a beautiful couple taking a rest after picking up some followers. Their clothing looks very elegant and colorful which shows that they are aristocrats. The man’s eyes are gazing at a shepherdess who gathered her own flowers. Their eyes are locked despite the man having his own woman right in front of him. The light brushstrokes of the dresses, flowers, and trees

Filial Piety is the main focus of the painting. In the painting, several different scenes are showed. One scene shows Filial Piety relationships in a “levels of a contemporary society”(Maxwell, 40). It shows a son saying goodybe to his parents. Another

Hugues Merle (1823-1881) was a talented French painter during the middle of the nineteenth-century who fit into the impressionist category as he painted “sweet and tender genre themes” (Schiller & Bodo). He was born in Saint-Marcellin and eventually moved to Paris. While in Paris, he became a student of Léon Cogniet at the Ecole-des-Beaux-Arts and began to exhibit his work at the Salon in 1847. By 1859, his reputation as a painter of portraits and biblical themes made him popular among American collectors. In 1861 and 1863, he was awarded second-class medals and in 1866, he was made Chevalier of the Legion of Honor. Merle painted a range of subjects, including historical anecdotes, allegories, and rural genre scenes such as those of mothers and children. His works were compared to Bouguereau since he painted childhood innocence and maternal affection so well (Schiller &

Peter Tchaikovsky was a famous Composer from the 19th Century. He is known as the most famous Russian composer in history (“Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Biography”). Some historians think that he was Russia’s first truly professional composer ("Tchaikovsky Music's – Famous”). His music was performed during the late 1800s. He created many musical works throughout this time as a composer and many of these works are still listened to today.